Technology | Media | Telecommunications

Friday, December 17, 2010

The global mobile phone market is now a significant opportunity for many consumer technology companies, shipping in the billions of units every year. So, it makes sense that the HDMI audio/video interface chip manufacturers would pursue it.

HDMI on mobile phones enables advanced media-centric applications -- especially HD-enabled camera phones -- to connect to HD video displays, including HDMI-enabled digital television sets. That said, any video that can be seen on the phone can easily be viewed on a TV -- including streamed OTT pay-TV content.

For the first time, the number of mobile phones with HDMI ports will ship in excess of a million units in 2010, according to the latest market study by In-Stat.

Meanwhile, the HDMI interface has become pervasive in all consumer electronics, accounting for over 350 million devices shipping in 2010.

"The emergence of phones that can capture 720p HD video has helped HDMI gain penetration over the last year," says Brian O'Rourke, Principal Analyst at In-Stat.

However, HDMI will face significant challenges in this market. First, phone vendors and mobile service providers must allow it to be included on their devices. Second, HDMI faces increased competition from new interfaces such as the Mobile High-definition Link (MHL).